Heather Wimbush sent her son to football camp at Vanderbilt last summer and expected him to come back regurgitating another generic recruiting pitch like the four-star quarterback heard several times before.

"Coaches have to find a way though to make themselves sound different," Heather said. "It sounds just like noise. Like Brandon said, 'Mom, it seems like they're all the same person.' That was his comment after he met like six, seven, eight coaches."

Brandon's grandfather accompanied him to Nashville and when the two returned to New Jersey they noted the difference between Vanderbilt's staff and others. They said the coaches were 'warm' and approachable with James Franklin giving Brandon's grandfather a hug right after meeting him. The staff was able to strike up a conversation with the two, kind of like a friendly, chatty group you'd meet at a party, Heather said. Fast forward 12 months and the individualized attention Franklin and his staff gave Wimbush at their previous institution helped the staff land him at Penn State.

But Wimbush is just one example. The 2015 recruiting class, ranked No. 5 in the nation at time of publication, is Franklin's first full group at Penn State. After closing out the 2014 class with some big additions after just one month on the job, Franklin and his staff have found a way to keep the momentum going. The 2016 class already has two big-time verbal commitments with four-star defensive end Shane Simmons and four-star running back Miles Sanders. How is Franklin doing it?

"First thing he said to me when he offered me was that I was coming to Penn State," 2015 running back commit Saquon Barkley said. "Coach Franklin offered me my scholarship and told me that they need me and Penn State, it's my in-state school so he's not letting me leave."

There's a certain approach socially that makes some recruiters better than others. They face the challenge of establishing relationships long before a scholarship offers comes into play, monitoring the development of the athlete and then conjuring up some type of pitch that appeals to both the player and his guardians.

Of course no two recruiting pitches are alike and seeing how a staff handles in-person visits is a major factor in whether or not an impressionable teenager leaves campus satisfied. Some get their fill of Creamery ice cream and it helps smooth over the details of their offer, but Franklin's honesty with recruits has gone a long way too.

"In recruiting people will tell you anything. They'll try and sell salt to the ocean," 2015 offensive line recruiting target Matthew Burrell said. "I didn't know coach Franklin was a black guy. I asked him if he was and he told everybody, quiet down and explained it. I didn't know if I was out of line asking or not, but he was really cool about it."

Franklin said he will be up front with the prospects, telling them about the academic and athletic opportunities at Penn State. But, he expects the same in return. Before a player commits Franklin tries to talk them out of it, telling the prospect once they give him their word there is no changing their mind or entertaining offers from other schools. At that point they're engaged and come Signing Day the player and coaches start a four or five-year marriage.

"Hands down he's probably one of the best recruiters I've ever come across in my life," 2015 Vanderbilt commit Josh Smith said. Smith, whose brother plays at Vanderbilt, was among the first players Franklin approached about coming to Penn State. He had Penn State in his final five despite never visiting the school.

"Coach Franklin can sell any school possible in the United States. He's a coach that anybody can relate to," Smith said. "You can sell any kid in America if you make them feel like family and that's what coach Franklin does."

For as many players and parents as Franklin and his staff has won over there are several mail carriers who wish the man would've never returned to Pennsylvania. Putting an emphasis on personalizing their message to recruits – going as far as to send 100-plus letters to a player at a time- hasn't been easy on mail carriers.

Defensive tackle commit Adam McLean said his 107 letters didn't fit in the mailbox. It looked like someone left a phone book at the doorstep, complete with pictures of Beaver Stadium, cheering fans and a hand-written note in each letter, he recalled. He wasn't the only one.

"Our mail carrier was pretty pissed off sometimes because the stuff couldn't even fit in the box," Heather Wimbush said. "When they say not a lot of people are going to outwork them I believe it. I just think that kind of flows from the top down."

Recruits want a coaching staff that wants them and if it means a large amount of letters, texts and visits, so be it. When players are undecided it matters how much they hear from a certain staff, something McLean said Franklin and the assistants do a good job of. The daily texts asking how he's doing or how his academics are didn't stop once the Lions secured McLean's commitment in April.

"We lose interest when coaches aren't consistent," McLean said. "When they talk to us and stop talking to us we're like, 'Man, they forgot about me.' Every day even if it gets annoying it's still like they're showing their support and at least they're trying."

Some schools recruit a player and then back off in hopes that the school, whether with it's football history or academic appeal will be able to sell itself. Some players get worn down by the recruiting process and want the break while others said the in-person interactions from on-campus visits help ease their minds.

For Franklin's staff the No. 1 component for landing a commit goes back to establishing and maintaining that relationship. Parents feel better sending their sons off to school if they feel like they've become part of Franklin's family, which without the letters, smiles, hugs and visits wouldn't be possible.

"I already know when I get there they're going to look out for me," McLean said. "They want to make sure I'm okay and make sure that I have everything that I need and all the tools I need to be successful. They're showing that right now and I'm not even there so it makes me feel comfortable."